Change your Book Cover and Increase Your Sales?

Change Your Book Cover and Increase Your Sales?

Can changing the cover of your book really increase sales? Well the last couple of weeks I have been a little quiet on the blogging front because I have been concentrating on finishing my current book and marketing my other books. I had a rather lovely synchronicity whereby my friend had figured out how to market his company's health products to the world. In doing so he managed to completely wipe out all of their stock. What a success story eh? So after excelling at that marketing challenge, he decided he would like to see whether his formula worked on books. Yep and you guessed it - I am the experiment. I do like being an experiment in marketing - especially when it my money being invested rather than the budgeting resource of a company.

So how we went about it was go to Amazon Ad Sense. We created an advertising campaign using my top selling book. We started the campaign and registered the number of impressions according to key words. We then counted how many clicks are made on a key word and which key words generated the most clicks. Take for example my LOVE HUNT - The Love Game. This was listed under romance, contemporary romance, love, dating etc. All these key words are linked to your book and when a book in your genre is being looked at, yours joins a queue to be listed as relevant. When your book is noticed and the customer clicks on your book, that is when you are charged a small fee. The fee is based on a bidding process. In actual fact it is all quite simple: basically every time your advert is clicked upon you are charged. You can set an advertising budget each day which once it is reached your advert will no longer appear. That means you can invest as little as a few dollars each day to advertise your books to a specific target audience, according to your key words. In the case of LOVE HUNT - THE LOVE GAME - the most impressions and clicks were made by those who were looking up romance or contemporary romance.  The romance market is huge and one of the most popular so it was not a surprise that this was the 'big clicker!'

So how does this relate to a change of cover?
Well there has to be a reason that a customer potentially clicks on your book. What makes your book stand out against the others that are lined up to advertise at that very same customer? Well it is the cover and the 'strap line.' So I have to be honest my click rate was failing dismally. After 32,000 impressions, where customers had my book appear on the page, I had a whole - are you ready for this - 9 clicks! They did not result in sales. So I was affectively advertising and getting no response. Boooo!

Admittedly it takes time for a sales campaign to kick in; however, something has to make the 'customer' want it now. People don't have time to return to a book they might have seen briefly and they certainly don't retain the title unless it is astounding! So what do you do? You make a cover which screams click on me. So here is my 'before' cover - I quite liked this one... 

I thought it was clean, quirky and to the point. According to my marketing pal it needed to appeal to the 'romance market' and stand out as fun, mischievous and girly. Hmmmm!
So this is the new cover:

Yes it is very pink!!!! Very, very pink! The thing is I then had to change the second in the series too from:

I really liked this one too. I liked how clean it was...
So this then was changed to:

Again - it is VERY PINK!

So guess what happened? The number of impressions continued at the same rate and the click rate increased. What do you think happened with the sales? There was a gradual increase. So what did that mean? Well, it meant that my blurb had to change. I know... Something was stopping people going 'yeh! now! Now and NOW!' Also my friend said that the reader wanted to discover something: an insight.

So take a look - this is how it was:

Come on admit it - as much as we deny it - we ladies like a good love hunt.
We have tick lists, ideals, and we hunt in high-heeled packs. Of course, we're all hunting for that elusive right man who ticks every box and even has tidy nostril hair. Okay maybe not you, but you know other ladies who love the hunt.

Well, it's time for Eva and Gracie to love hunt, and their 'targets' are rich men - the golden sperm. Such exciting escapades would provide the pair with entertaining discussions during their dull office hours - or so they thought. What they did not anticipate was the discovery of the "booby man"; humorous but very hard truths about wealth, themselves, power; and the RichIdiot.com phenomenon.
The question remains: can love really be hunted?

THIS IS THE NEW VERSION

LOVE HUNT - Dating Game: A Kiss and Email Romantic Comedy

Did you know there are numerous secret female dating discussions taking place in your office? Discover the hidden world of women hunting rich men in hope of escaping office drudgery. All around you your colleagues are gossiping about their dating adventures whilst pretending to work. This laugh out loud romantic comedy reveals numerous dating disasters, female analysis and an insight into the world of ridiculous dating rituals - all of that in hope of finding that Mr Right. Does he really exist?

This and more from Eva, the Russian gold digger, who reveals a world of high-class meals and luxurious lingerie. While Gracie, the straight-laced female analyst demonstrates how the mind can run riot with random thoughts: what about the grey-knicker women who have settled for the men with sheds? Are they happy? Why are their knickers grey? Why choose a man with a shed?
A laugh out loud conversation in the form of emails about life, hide the sausage and dating blooming disasters! Be astounded by what is discussed during nine to five!

___________________

So what do you think happened? Honestly I have no clue how life works....

Well the audio sales went up! Admittedly Helen is a fantastic narrator and her Russian accent is brilliant, I just have not quite figured out how that has worked. Also what is also interesting is there is a higher level of sales in the U.K. than the U.S.

My friend Matt says that is because the U.K. has 11 5 star reviews whereas the U.S. have not been placing so many reviews. Again I wonder why that is. So in answer to the question - Can changing your cover increase your sales? Most definitely; however, there are other factors such as 'strap line and your blurb.' If you manage to combine the perfect formula then you have a potentially winning advertising campaign! YEY!!!!

Good luck. I hope this helps all the other lovely authors out there who are also attempting to figure the marketing puzzle out. If I find out anything else I will definitely share. If you have any comments or findings please could you add them to the comments. I would love other authors to have an easier journey to making a living from the book market!

LINK TO KINDLE:

LOVE HUNT - Dating Game: A Kiss and Email Romantic Comedy
by Ruby Allure  LINK: https://amzn.com/B00ATF8QF2

LINK TO AUDIO :https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Hunt-Dating-Game-Idiot/dp/B015G4GAIU/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1470326107&sr=8-2

Oh and I just worked out why the audio sales went up - the audio is on at £3.99 rather than £15.69

If I had not written this blog I would never have figured it out. So that is why the audio sales increased because the advert worked - the customer just happened to explore further. The only problem now is how do I change the audio cover? Any ideas?

The Importance of Word Of Mouth

The Importance of Word Of Mouth

Do you have aspirations of being the next J.K Rowling or the next Tolkien? Admittedly I don't have such aspirations. I was simply happy writing my books, keeping myself entertained and entering into a beautiful mental landscape which was completely different to my usual world of Business Analysis. I was happy when I made one sale let alone a thousand. The challenge with having a mind that needs to figure things out and spends time working out common trends and patterns is that you apply that to all activities. Once an analyst, always an analyst. So this is why I share my findings with my lovely blog readers.

So when I first started releasing books I would put them on Kindle and assumed that magically readers would find them. I might sell ten books this way but nothing big ever happened. I realised that this attitude was not going to result in great sales. So my next books I did a desk launch. This was before publishing policies were implemented into the corporation I worked for. So I launched my book on Kindle and released the paperback from the desk and did desk signings. It actually was nuts because people lined up to buy books and I signed when I should have been working. I had no idea how I got away with it. I sold a stack of books this way but that did not spiral into world literary domination. It did result in me being accosted in the toilet and being asked if I was 'that author...' After that I came to the conclusion launching at work was not the best plan, so I adopted a pseudo-name and decided that the more book formats the better. I then branched in audio through having my books produced through ACX. This also increased sales but I was missing a key piece of the jigsaw puzzle - reviews.

Reviews are so powerful. I have written about this in some of my other blogs. Reviews from readers sell to other readers. The best thing to learn is not to take reviews personally - that is the challenge. However, a review has the ability to make or break a book sale. The more reviews the better because it makes the rubbish ones drop down the list. Remember you can't remove a review once it is posted. On one of my audio books some of the reviewers did not like the narrator and slated them. Those comments ground sales of that book to a halt. That was the learning. As I mentioned before, I don't rely on book sales for my income. Instead the additional income is used to over-pay my mortgage, saved or pays for a nice spa day. That is all part of my 'rewards' system as a motivator.

You may wonder how you get reviews. If you look at the Indie review book list, there are a list of reviewers you can approach. I also now advise people who have reviewed my other books when a book is due. Since most have enjoyed reviewing my other work, I now have a 'list' of reviewers who review most of my books once released.

So how does the word of mouth work? Well, every time I send a reviewer a free audio code I ask them to recommend the book, in whatever way they think will reach the most readers. That is - if they like the book. This word of mouth generates sales. Then that word of mouth generates more sales. Sometimes this momentum continues. At other times it just stops. Although this time I have noticed the shift in sales and momentum. Last month I released The Hairy-legged Mystery and Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs. These were fun books for kids. My colleagues at work asked me to write them for their kids because the school holidays were nigh. So I put finger to keyboard and entertained myself. Within a few weeks these books were drafted, edited, proofread and published. They were short, fun and easy to write. I then posted on ACX. Two producers snapped them up and produced them within a week. I then asked reviewers to get involved and I had sixty reviewers offer review.  It is during this period that you get scared. What if none sell? Should you buy one just to start the sales? Honestly... I have considered doing that before. However, the reviews rolled in and the reviewers recommended the books as did my friends that I wrote the book for. That is how it spirals... One child tells another that they read The Hairy-legged Mystery and another becomes curious... What I realised is that by having these books on audio they work on car journeys as well as bed time stories. As we know children can listen to something over and over again. So much so that parents also hear the same recording over and over again. In no time The Hairy-Legged Mystery became 'normalised' and people talked about it. That then made more sales. So with all that in mind my top tips for word of mouth generation are as follows:

• Make a product you love and will happily stand by.
• Let people know you are creating it / have created it.
• Make as many formats possible - paperback,  digital and audio.
• Ask reviewers to review.
• Ask reviewers to recommend.
• Give as many free codes / samples to friends and ask them to tell their friends.
• Finally find as many ways to let people know your book exists.

The truth is word of mouth is the best seller and creates a bestseller. No matter how much hype you make, if the product is of bad quality then there is only a short duration of sales. Provide quality, be authentic, relax into it and enjoy the sales!

EXAMPLE:

"Intriguing with a WONDERFULLY twist at the end"

This is the 2nd story by this author I have read and I love it. Will eagerly seek more by her. The story was captivating, mystical magical and entertaining. The parental
Bed time stories and deceptions of the various monsters and creatures of fantasy keep you guessing as to what it
Is. The reveal is more magical for the build up and Even more amazing than described. Loved it and highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. Good luck figuring it out. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review

THE HIARY-LEGGED MYSTERY ON AUDIBLE LINK: http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Hairy-Legged-Mystery-Audiobook/B01H2HF0XU/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1468187800&sr=1-1#publisher-summary

Enjoy my books at the following link:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

A day of learning: what makes book sell?

What makes book sell?

This may sound odd but I believe in sharing knowledge. The more I learn then the more I have to share. Now this is no secret, being an author is not my first profession. In truth it is more of a challenge. I love to write and I love to figure out what makes things work. In my business life I trend and look at patterns in markets, investment and social media. This is why writing and being an author is such a challenge because I cannot figure out a pattern or formulae (yet). So the way I see it: the more I can learn about what sells, what trends and patterns there are then the more knowledge there is to share to help others...

Well last night was an interesting one for me because I had a sudden jump in sales of my audio books. There was not rhyme or reason for the particular jump. I had done nothing differently, other than take the afternoon off work so I could have a root canal. I do not attribute a root canal with being an increase in sales. So then that got me thinking - what is it that stimulates buyers to buy? What's more, what is it that makes them buy in surges? I don't have an answer yet, although, there are a few things I can share:
The more reviews you have then the more likely people are to buy, even if there is a rubbish review. People hunt in packs and they seem to buy in packs too! I have no clue how that works.

This is a major learning and one that I have seen go very wrong for others. Do not ram your book down people's throats. People buy in their own time, yes you have the quick sell technique but if a customer goes away feeling like you have forced them to buy and have felt uncomfortable - do you really think they will come back for more?

Another thing that I noticed is consistency. Makes sure you are consistent in your approach to social media. Make sure that you contribute good knowledge and insight. Personally, I want to help others. As much as I love writing the books, there is just a little more to it. For me, it is the sharing of information, wisdom and insight. It is so simple and that is my motivation. Now if I manage to figure this out - I will definitely share my findings because I believe there is more than enough for everyone... In the meantime, I am going to go to yoga... Talk soon
Ruby

AUDIBLE LINK FOR A SHORT COURSE IN CREATIVE WRITING: http://amzn.com/B01390THLK

21/08/15

 

"An Unexpected Gem"

***I was provided a copy of this audio book for the purpose of a review ***

With the required disclaimer out of the way, let me be brutally honest, I had not expected this little gem. In fact, I had expected my listening would be a bit rough and was fortified by it being less than 2 hours.

The synopsis says the author wrote the book as a takeaway from her evening classes on creative writing. My mental context was ... Community Ed evening classes ...and expected a well intended but kind of amateur product. However, I am interested in adult education, and batter my own nerd head against a giant personal creativity brick wall.

So you have an idea of my mind set... low expectations along with high interest.

Amateur hour it was NOT.

I don't know where the author teaches her class, but Sign Me Up! And bring the narrator. Wow. Two hours of unadulterated, straight up, right on, good learning material delivered by a close friend just sharing the material. The narrator's voice was warm, sincere without any artifact or pompous patronising, and well modulated throughout. The material was mind opening for me, with the right mix of the mechanics of writing exercises, sufficient context that using prompts now makes sense to me, and a sprinkling of the inner heart work of creativity through written material.

This was just what I didn't dare hope for in a how to creative writing listen.

Truly an unexpected gem and a learning and growing experience for me.

A keeper and one I will return to many times as I deconstruct my own wall, one block at a time.

Thank You, Ruby and Thank You, Erin.

 

TO BUY MONEY FARM ON AMAZON.com http://amzn.com/B010F04W9O

· Frode

06/08/15

5 STAR

"M.O.N.E.Y. is bad? This book is not!"

So Money Farm by Ruby Allure was a surprise! When I REALLY did not read things about this book I review for Audiobook Blast, I sometimes get books I don't know something about. BTW: I read 99% about the books I want to review, but this book I can't remember I did that for. Anyways: This was a nice surprise, and I think it is one of those books that is better the second time you read it. No joke! I listen to this twice before I made this! Money Farm makes you thin, and who does not like to hear a book that makes you think? It is an awesome book, that I will recommend to all that likes audiobooks, and really to people that does not!

Helen Lloyd English accent its the topic like a glow and a hand! Her "lady like" voice is so cold, and clear I feel that the author made this book thinking that Helen Lloyd would read it out loud! That is how I feel those two fits together! The 2 times 14 hrs and 6 mins I spend with her never feels boring or uninteresting! I would love to spend it again, and I will because this book I will hear again, and again, even when it is 14 hrs and 6 mins long! That is saying something!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

MONEY FARM

· "Incredibly thought provoking..."

What did you like most about Money Farm?

It was an eye opener.

 

What did you like best about this story?

I like the way it made you think about the way normal everyday life is here and now, and the future...

 

Have you listened to any of Helen Lloyd’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Helen Lloyd narrated this fairly long audiobook brilliantly. Although the story content was very intense and thought provoking, her lovely smooth voice was very easy to listen to and I thought it was just perfect, a fascinating book wonderfully narrated.

 

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was, although it is too long to do so.

 

 

The Reality of Being an Author

The Reality of Being an Author

For some reason when people find out you are an author they have belief that you can waft around thinking of literary prose. The have images of cafes, days just dreaming and literary events with horsey-style laughter. In truth, I don't know many authors who have this luxury. In fact, most of the authors I know, who make money and are having films produced, still work. The image painted in films is remote beaches, romantic views and international jet-setting. Nope, and I don't want to disappoint, but the reality is usually a full time job, often in an unrelated subject, so that there is mental space for writing.

 

Let me give you some examples, my friend who is having a film produced of her book, by day works in a care home. The shifts enable her to attend literary meetings. She has an internationally renowned agent but can still be found bathing old people in their beds and you know what? She loves being able to care for others. Another friend of mine, who also writes and earns money from her book sales, works full time as an English teacher. So much of her inspiration comes from her students and what they say.

One author, who was catapulted into stardom overnight, maintained her job working in a bookshop because she loved working with books. She also said that she was going to remain humble and monitor her sales. The first book sold more than fifty thousand copies but her royalty was around fifty pence per book. That is only a basic wage for one year. It was a 'nice to have' in addition to her income and she was glad that she kept her job. Finally, another author I know works as a lawyer, her relaxation time is writing because she gets to dream.

It seems everyone has this idea that you write a book and are catapulted to wealth and stardom. For a few that happens; however, I was discussing an author, who was at the top of his field with my brother. It turned out that the author accidentally let it slip that he worked as a decorator to supplement his income. It seems that people prefer the ideal rather than the image of their favourite author painting a wall.

The years that I spent teaching creative writing evening classes revealed the aspirations and illusions so many people have. Numerous fresh students professed that they desired to be the next J.K. Rowling and that was their reason for learning to write. You never want to smash peoples dreams; however,  if that is the one and only motivation to write then there is a very long and arduous journey ahead.

I am not saying that it isn't possible to become a full time author; and I do know one author who earns their living purely through being an author. He gave up his job when he reached one million sales. He is signed with a publisher and releases a book a year. He has over ten books on the market. He said that once he had made a million sales and had a three year reserve in the bank he would then write full time. So it is possible, yet what you might not realise is your work place is the perfect place to observe characters, understand human dynamics and listen to people's stories. My advice is if you want to be an author live, work and gain inspiration. In the meantime, set yourself a goal: say three years income in your bank before jumping into the financially unknown.

NEW!!!!  RUBY WRITES BOOKS - LINKS TO AUDIBLE FREE TRIALS :)

LINK TO AUDILE FREE TRIAL http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B012OVUKE8

 

 

 

LINK TO LOVE HUNT FREE TRIAL: http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B015G4ICYA

 

 

CLAN DESTINE AUDIBLE FREE TRIAL::

http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B015YJ3P8K

 

Turning Your Book into an Audio Book

The Art of Audio production.

http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Allure/e/B00M9Y4GAA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1434883172&sr=8-1

 

Imagine what it is like to hear a professional actor/actress read the book you spent years labouring over. It really is the most wonderful experience to have your characters interpreted and brought to life by a professional. This week was the week that two of my audio books were approved and have joined the queue of new audio releases.

http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Allure/e/B00M9Y4GAA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Allow me to share with you the process, and I will be honest, it does involve work. First you have to make sure that your books are up to standard. They will have been proof-read and at publishable quality. You then offer them up for audition on ACX.com. Should a producer view them as profitable they will audition. You may receive a number of auditions for a book. It is then down to you to select the right voice for the book. Alternatively you can select producers who you will pay to produce your book. There are a couple of options on payment; however, you have to make a decision whether you wish to share royalties or make an initial payment. Personally I went for the shared option because then both the producer and I are making a time investment with potential of continued return.

https://www.acx.com/

 

Once the producer has agreed the terms of contract, they will then provide the first fifteen minutes of audio. It is during this time that you provide character insights and any details that you feel the producer should know in relation to character portrayal. You then allow the producer to get on with the project. I have worked with four different producers who all have somewhat different approaches. One lady produced the whole thing and advised me of her progress all the way through. I then went through and approved the whole book in consecutive chapters over a week. Two of the other producers went one chapter at a time, I validated and approved as they worked through the books. The fourth producer is going to provide the final project. He has had little contact or prompting and I am looking forward to hearing the final piece. Something I would say is that you have to pick the right producer for the work and trust them. They are professionals. For those who are control freaks, this process might not be for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Allure/e/B00M9Y4GAA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1434883172&sr=8-1

Once the book is produced you will have to go through chapter by chapter. You might not realise this but this is hours and hours of work. I did this on top of my writing and full time work. Needless to say it was quite a challenge. However, it is absolutely worth it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Allure/e/B00M9Y4GAA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1434883172&sr=8-1

Once you have approved your work it is then submitted for quality validation by ACX. Now I have to say they are very detailed. They have asked for revisions and smoothing of background noise. Also another major fail on audio books is the cover. You have to make sure the title and author name absolutely match the details on the sales channel.  Once this has all been approved it is time for your book to join the release queue. This is where I am now… I am sooooooooooo excited. The delivery on Money Farm was so powerful. It is such a delight to listen to such a creation. The funny thing is that I listened to the book and had forgotten that I wrote it. That is how good Helen Lloyd, the producer is! Amazing!

 

http://www.audible.co.uk/mt/free_trial_special_offer_mt_at?bp_ua=

Labyrinthine is the other book that is being validated at the moment. Claire Ottewell produced this and she astounded me by her ability to shift through accents, ages and gender in the character delivery.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Allure/e/B00M9Y4GAA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

 

So all that remains now is to see how the world responds to the first two releases! Exciting!